Gardens of Spain Story and photos by Gail Murray
Central courtyard of Palacio de las Duenas, Seville.
Recently, Gail Murray was part of a tour of gardens in Spain led by Master Gardener Donna Dawson and Johnathan Lord. Here are some highlight from the first three days in Granada, Cordoba and Seville. Granada I’ve dreamed of the Alhambra since Spanish class in high school. Granada’s Alhambra Palace, last stronghold of Moorish rule, remains an outstanding example of medieval architecture, a testament to the role of nature in everyday life of Islam. The Iberian Peninsula flourished under Muslim rule for 800 years—their influence runs deep. According to Islamic tradition, the courtyard depicts the Quran’s symbol of paradise. The Alhambra’s fountains and reflecting pools provide solace. The Courtyard of the Lions, with its twelve marble lions representing royalty and power, stands as a focal point and respite in the sultan’s private dwellings. 16 • 2020
Gail Murray on her Spanish garden tour.
I climbed terraced slopes on walkways paved with a mosaic of river pebbles, passing cypress hedges, velvet roses, lemon, orange and pomegranate trees and was entranced as we reached the Generalife, the sultan’s summer palace and retreat. The Courtyard of the Cypress is the best preserved medieval Persian garden in Europe. Inside the complex, The Water Garden Courtyard—a long pool framed by Issue 3
flowerbeds and colonnades—delights with its tinkling fountains. Cordoba In Cordoba, wandering the stately formal gardens of the Alcazar, I can imagine the reprieve Queen Isabel found as she read among palms, fountains, and neatly trimmed boxwood. At the Mezquita or Great Mosque, a UNESCO world heritage site, I learn that the concept of a mosque originated localgardener.net
